1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a container with a suspended rack, and in particular, to a container with a suspended rack comprising a gate on one or more sides to ease removal of objects placed thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of pans and pots with racks exist and are used for a multitude of purposes. For example, household ovens generally have racks built into them. These racks are used to suspend cookware placed in the oven and to enable heat to circulate evenly around the cookware. The racks often slide in and out on tracks provided in the oven to aid in inserting and removing objects to and from the oven. The racks are generally coated, plated, or painted wire to provide even heat distribution and minimize sticking and staining.
Racks may also be used for essentially the opposite purpose, i.e., for cooling items. Racks are often used, for example, to cool baked items. This enables the item to cool more evenly from all sides and can prevent, for example, cracks from forming in cakes or cookies as they cool. Cooling racks can also be used for items that are more easily removed from the cookware when hot than when cold. Cooling racks can also protect heat sensitive surfaces from hot pots and pans, for example, immediately after they come out of the oven or off the stove.
As shown in FIG. 1, racks 105 can also be used to enable objects to be cooked in a pan 110 in a suspended fashion to prevent them from sitting in cooking juices while cooking. Racks 105 are often used, for example, in roasting pans 110, which are conventionally used for cooking large items such as turkeys and roasts (“roasts”). The rack 105 can be suspended above the bottom 115 of the pan 110 on feet 120 to enable the juices produced during cooking to be captured in the bottom of the pan 110 without the roast sitting in the juices. This can prevent the roast from becoming greasy and can make roasted food healthier by, among other things, reducing the fat and cholesterol content of the cooked product. The rack 105 can sit on its feet 120, for example, or can rest on tabs, or other means, provided in the pot 110 (not shown).
Conventionally, racks 105 used in combination with roasting pans 110 have had several drawbacks. One drawback is that racks 105 often do not fit well in the roasting pan 110 in which they are used. This can create a problem whereby the user attempts to lift or move the roasting pan 110, e.g., to take the pan out of the oven, and the rack 105 slides within the pan 110. Given that many roasts weigh more than 20 pounds, this can dramatically change the center of gravity of the pan 110, twisting or tilting the pan, and can lead to several problems.
For example, the twisting of the pan 110 can cause the user to be splashed with hot fluids from the pan 110, for example, causing severe burns. In some scenarios, the pan 110 can twist out of the user's hands completely. This can result in both burn and drop injuries to the user, property damage, not to mention loss of the roast. Given the high cost food and the risk of injury, this can cause significant economic and physical damages.
Another problem associated with conventional racks 105 is that they generally lack handles. In other words, the rack 105 is a flat rack that is placed in the bottom 115 of the roasting pan 110. This configuration can present a second significant problem: removing the roast from the roasting pan 110. With a flat rack 105, the rack 105 is sitting in the bottom 115 of the pan and is often completely obscured by the sides 125 of the pan 110 and the roast. As a result, the user is forced to remove the roast from the pan 110 and the rack 105 simultaneously using tongs or serving forks, for example. The user must then place the roast on the intended surface. This means that the user must lift the heavy, extremely hot roast out of the pan 110, and place it, for example, on a separate serving platter or cutting board.
Alternatively, the user may attempt to lift the roast out of the pan 110 on the rack 105 by lifting the rack 105 itself. This can be very difficult to do, however, given the depth of a typical roasting pan 110 and the temperature at which the pan 110 typically comes out of the oven. Attempting to reach into the pan 110 to grasp the rack 105 without touching the sides 125 of the pan 110 can be difficult if not impossible. On the other hand, wearing an oven mitt or other protective clothing can make it impossible for the user to fit their hand between the roast and the pan 110. In either case, removing the roast from the pan 110 is at best awkward and at worst dangerous.
In addition, the rack 105 may comprise, for example, a plurality of welded wires used to form a grid. This can make the rack 105 very difficult to grasp with conventional kitchen utensils. In addition, picking up the rack 105 with the roast thereon may exceed the load carrying capacity of the rack 105 causing it to bend or break. This can also cause the user to be injured as they drop, or attempt to prevent dropping, the roast.
Finally, because the flat rack 105 is designed to sit on the bottom 115 of the pan 110 on feet 120, the height d may be insufficient. In other words, because the rack 105 sits on the bottom 115 of the pan 110 on small feet 120, the roast may wind up sitting in its own juices. This can make the bottom of the roast soggy and unappetizing and can increase the fat and cholesterol content of the roast. The flat rack 105, therefore, can defeat the health advantages of roasting meats in the first place.
What is needed is a rack and a pan that have a complementary shape such that the rack does not slide inside the pan, wherein the rack has handles and holds the roast securely, but provides a convenient means of removal of the roast from the rack without lifting. It is to such a device that embodiments of the present invention are primarily directed.